NCAA violations that saddled Marshall with scholarship reductions from which the program is just now recovering also had a detrimental effect on the career aspirations of Bob Pruett, the Thundering Herd's all-time winningest coach.

In a deposition taken in May, Pruett admitted that the case involving academic fraud and the employment of nonqualifying "props" damaged his reputation and hampered him in his pursuit of head coaching openings at Kentucky, Kansas, Temple and Mississippi.

Pruett also cited the difficulty of one assistant, Gunter Brewer, in trying to get an assistant coaching job at Illinois under current head coach Ron Zook.

The deposition, which consumed more than five hours and was printed on 228 pages, was taken in May in connection with a lawsuit by B. David Ridpath against Pruett, the university, former president Dan Angel, two other high-ranking MU officials and another attorney.

Ridpath claims he was defamed in the aftermath of the NCAA investigation, and his career suffered when he was reassigned from his position of compliance director in what the university termed a self-imposed corrective action. The 6-year-old case is set for trial in October, with a motion for summary judgment pending before U.S. District Judge Chuck Chambers.

The deposition didn't make clear when Pruett had people call Kentucky on his behalf to express interest in that job. The Wildcats replaced Hal Mumme after the 2000 season and Guy Morriss after 2002 - both after the NCAA began its investigating the "jobs for props" allegations.

Apparently, Ridpath had contacted Kentucky officials.

"Do you understand that Dr. Ridpath testified that he spoke to Kentucky about you and indicated that there was a problem with you and the NCAA?" Pruett was asked. A few questions earlier, Pruett said, "They had had some NCAA problems, and due to the problems we'd had with the NCAA, that I wouldn't be considered."

The Kansas position came open after the 2001 season, as the NCAA was wrapping up the Marshall case. Ole Miss hired coach Ed Orgeron on Dec. 16, 2004, days before the Herd's ill-fated appearance in the Fort Worth Bowl. The Temple position came open after Pruett retired from Marshall in March 2005.

Pruett said Brewer, a receivers coach and associate offensive coordinator from 1996-1999, had trouble applying for another job. Brewer is now at Oklahoma State.

"I was told by Ron Zook, the head football coach [at Illinois], that Mr. Ridpath gave [Brewer] a bad recommendation and they would not hire him," Pruett said.

Pruett vigorously disputed an affidavit provided by his strength and conditioning coach at Marshall, Mike Jenkins. Jenkins, discussing the instance of academic fraud involving a volunteer assistant strength coach Bruce McAllister, said, "Coach Pruett assured the staff that certain football athletes, specifically Danny Derricott, would be eligible for the fall of 2000 season because they were guaranteed to get A's in McAllister's class."

He also disputed statements by two former football players, Charles Tynes and Sam Goines, dealing with the employment allegations. Those two players said they were directed by Pruett to sign statements - which they believed to be false - that they made $12.50 an hour during freshman-year jobs at a business owned by booster Marshall Reynolds.

Pruett was asked if Jenkins or Goines would have any reason to provide less than truthful testimony. He didn't know about Jenkins, but he offered a theory that Goines was upset about playing time his senior year.

"He voiced it," Pruett said. "He had some issues with his position coach, Kevin Kelly." Pruett later noted the NCAA-mandated suspension hurt Goines' consistency, affecting his performance and therefore playing time.

Most of the questioning came from one of Ridpath's attorneys, Jonathan Matthews of Charleston. Ridpath was also present. That questioning got testy at times, particularly over the circumstances of Pruett's departure from Marshall.

Pruett repeated the line he gave from his farewell press conference, saying simply, "It was time." Late in the deposition, when Matthews returned to the issue, he expounded a bit.

"My brother was dying of cancer. I wanted to see him," Pruett said. "My grandson was a junior in high school. I wanted to watch him play. I wanted to help my son coach. It was just time. It was of my own volition. They tried to talk me out of it. They even tried to get me to come back."

Matthews pressed onward, particularly when Pruett answered "not really" to an inquiry if Pruett left because he was less than satisfied with conditions at the university. Eventually, Matthews registered an objection that Pruett was nonresponsive, saying, "And if we want to press further, we'll ... do so in front of the judge."

Oddly enough, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez showed up in the questioning. When Pruett was asked of his current relationship with the former West Virginia coach, Pruett's attorney interjected, "I'm sorry."

Part of that exchange:

Matthews: "Did you talk to Coach Rodriguez about this case at all?"

Pruett: "I don't remember."

Matthews: "Is it possible that you did?"

Pruett: "Anything's possible. I don't remember."

Matthews: "I mean, do you remember saying anything to Mr. Rodriguez like, 'They couldn't nail me. I was too smart for them.' "

Pruett: "No."

Matthews: "Do you remember saying anything to Mr. Rodriguez like, 'They got the compliance director instead?' "

Pruett: "No."

Pruett strongly criticized the NCAA Committee on Infractions, calling them "high-handed" and saying they did not give due process. He also blasted the NCAA for making the athletes who worked for Reynolds during their "prop" year repay the allegedly excess wages.

"I had the feeling they felt like you were guilty and you had to prove you were innocent," Pruett said of the NCAA. Later, the coach painfully recalled at the Sept. 22, 2001 hearing before the infractions committee: "I think the whole thing had an agenda. We were doomed when we went in there."

Pruett said he has tried to erase the memory of that day, but said Ridpath lost his composure under pointed NCAA questioning.

"I remember Lynn Humphreys came up at the first break and mentioned to Layton [Cottrill, an MU official also named in the lawsuit] and myself that Dave was killing us," Pruett said.

Pruett has several disagreements with Ridpath over how the events unfolded, which will come out again if the case proceeds with trial. But Pruett denied he had anything to do with Ridpath's reassignment or subsequent termination from the university. He even had some praise for Ridpath's performance at certain times, and told the story of giving Ridpath $100 at a particularly stressful point, to go have dinner with his wife at the Bobby Pruett Steakhouse.

At one point in the deposition, Pruett was handed a letter written to the NCAA by Angel, which apparently blistered Ridpath. Pruett said it was the first time he had seen it and "reading this is quite a shock to me."

"I would be upset, extremely upset," Pruett said.

Pruett criticized the university for proposing self-sanctions, which included a two-year probation, a two-year disassociation with Reynolds and, after the hearing, Ridpath's reassignment. The probation was extended to four years, the disassociation with Reynolds to five.

"Why should - because any time I've ever seen a school impose a penalty on themselves, the NCAA always penalizes it more, so why should we set a penalty?" Pruett asked. "We'll get more than that. So let them set whatever standard it was instead of us."

On top of all that and other measures, the Herd's scholarship count, overall and for initial counters was reduced by five for the next three seasons. That has been cited as effectively gutting the program's depth from the 2004 though 2007 seasons.

Reynolds doesn't have much love for the NCAA, either.

In his 90-page, profanity-tinged deposition, he asserts that the "props" were paid $200 for not one but two eight-hour days, or $12.50 a hour, though he did admit that some students didn't show up for Sunday work and were marked present. He disputes the NCAA's contention that the prevailing wage for the low-skilled jobs at his MacCorkle Machine Shop was $4.50 to $6 an hour.

"One, MacCorkle is a union plant," Reynolds said. "So it is spelled out what you pay everybody. And we agreed with the union rep that they would let us use these part-time kids, and they agreed on the day's pay, the daily rate, which is $100 a day."

Reynolds also had unkind words for Angel, whom he accused of lying. He said Angel "ran away and hid" after the NCAA handed down sanctions, and later said "I don't think he could organize a two-car funeral."

Reach Doug Smock at 348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.